


An Unlikely Partnership

by starrika



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complete, F/M, Post-Hogwarts, non-epilogue compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-06
Updated: 2008-06-06
Packaged: 2017-11-05 15:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/408214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrika/pseuds/starrika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione and Neville are hosting a party to celebrating the opening of their gardening business. Luna brings the quirky and Neville brings the romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unlikely Partnership

"Did you know that trolls send dragonflies to poke out the eyes of their enemies?" Luna said in that odd, dreamy tone of voice she always used.

Hermione and Neville exchanged a glance, but Hermione bit her tongue at his pleading look. Luna was one of his best friends, and one of hers too _sort of_ , and honestly, she should be used to odd pronouncements from her by now, anyway.

"That's very interesting," Neville replied. He was showing them all his new garden centre and greenhouses. All the hard work he'd put in over the past year was paying off – his business was slated to open on Monday. Hermione had helped him decorate the paths with floating paper lanterns and organized the food with a caterer. She wasn't really the gardening type, but she'd needed something to do after the messy, horrible breakup with Ron. Neville had been trying to start his business and Hermione needed something to avoid everyone else.

And here she was.

"Yes, very interesting," she echoed sincerely, following them along the paths. Luna had arrived an hour early, having forgotten all about the change in time zone. They were giving her a quick tour, but Hermione was itching to get back to her lists and look over the caterers setting up.

"It's going to be fine. Stop worrying about it."

It took Hermione a moment to realize that Neville was speaking to her. Luna had wandered ahead to look at some of the older trees they'd left standing. Merlin, what was she _doing_? She was climbing the tree in her dress.

Shaking her head, but with a smile, Hermione focused her attention again on Neville. "Pardon?"

"I said it's going to be fine," Neville replied, smiling down at her. "You're worrying."

Hermione bit her lip and shrugged. "It's what I do."

"I know," Neville said, looking over at Luna with a grin. She had her skirt hiked up indecently high and seemed to be examining a bird's nest of some sort. He turned back to her. "You don't need to, though. You've done a fantastic job planning all this. I really can't thank you enough, Hermione."

Hermione smiled and waved away his praise. "Really, it's nothing. I should be thanking you – for, for everything," she said. Without a project to throw herself into, she wasn't sure how she would have coped with the fallout of her and Ron's relationship.

Neville wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. He wasn't as tall as Ron, but he was just tall enough to do so. "You don't need to thank me for a thing," he said seriously. "And if you ever decide you want to do more with your Friday nights than plan parties for undeserving friends, well, keep me in mind."

He kissed her on the cheek and had walked over to the tree Luna was in, helped her down, before Hermione had truly processed what he'd said. Had Neville just asked her on a _date_?


End file.
